“Napaka-notorious ng rock netting to... sa korupsyon, ipinagbawal na ang rock netting pero ginawa nang ginawa pa rin,” - President Marcos Jr. on rock netting in Benguet

Benguet, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lambasted the rock netting he inspected on Camp 5, Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, calling it overpriced, substandard, and yet another useless project that endangered the lives of the people rather than offering protection.

Marcos, after his site visit at the rock shed along Kennon Road over the weekend, proceeded to assess the rock netting in the context of uncovering anomalous flood-protection projects.

Records of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) show that, like the rock shed, the rock netting in the area was also built by 3K Rock Engineering. The contractor’s general manager, as listed, is Francis Cuyop who ran as Ifugao’s representative in the latest elections but lost.

The project, which involved the installation of protective nets to prevent landslide risks by stabilizing rock formations, has a contract value of P114.18 million funded under the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

‘Overprice fourfold, with 75% kickback’

During his inspection, Marcos said rock netting projects were notorious for corruption.

“Napaka-notorious ng rock netting to... sa korupsyon, ipinagbawal na ang rock netting pero ginawa nang ginawa pa rin,” the President stressed.

He likewise revealed that the price of rock netting was charged to the government four times the actual cost, resulting in a 75 percent kickback.

“Ang presyo ng rocknetting is P3,200. Ang chinarged sa gobyerno is more than P12,000, so times four. So, 75 percent ng kontrata, kinick-back... That’s the situation we are facing kaya’t malala ito,” added Marcos.

Project not implemented with proper process

Marcos stressed that no public hearings were conducted and the local officials were bypassed in the implementation of the project, thereby violating the proper procedure.

The president recounted that when he was yet a governor, completed projects were evaluated before being accepted by the local officials. This process, he said, needs to be ‘reinstituted’ as it is no longer followed.

Marcos further emphasized that since the stakeholders are the ones directly impacted, they are best positioned to assess such project’s quality standard.